Lankan singer apologises for offensive WCup song

February 25, 2011 11:26 IST

The Sri Lankan singer, who composed a song backing the country in the 2011 Cricket World Cup, has apologised after his much-hyped song was banned, as President Mahinda Rajapaksa expressed his disapproval of the lyrics over fears that it might cause offence to other competitors.

The pop video, which is mainly in Sinhala with a few Tamil words, also contains lyrics that might touch on religious sensitivities.

"Come on, come on," runs the song, urging supporters to raze West Indies coconut trees, break the jaws of sharks in New Zealand, melt the snow on Indian mountains, and feed bird food to kangaroos in Australia.

It promises that the Sri Lankan side will shake the roof of the "English palace" presumably Queen Elizabeth's residence and "will shatter the roof of heaven" with their sixes.

"I would like to reiterate that I did not intend disrespect for any country playing in the World Cup, but only meant to produce a song that will be enjoyed as a cheer song by all Sri Lankans," he said in a statement.

Privately-run radio and television stations also took the video off the air on their own although the song was officially launched last month in the presence of Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara.

Local media reports said that the launch of the video as the official cheer song of the national team had cost about half a million dollars.

Sri Lanka, who is co-hosting the World Cup with Bangladesh and India, has already run into trouble with fans after banning music and placards at match venues.